Caleb Parsons
During the course of Catharine MacKinnon's essay "Difference and Dominance: On Sex Discrimination", she brings up various ways in which women are oppressed in American society and the various solutions to said oppression. The language and examples MacKinnon uses reflect a larger structure of identifying oppression described by Iris Young in her chapter titled "Five Faces of Oppression." Young formulates a list of "concepts and conditions" that encapsulate how oppression is carried out against social groups. These factors are exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence. While MacKinnon may or may not have been aware of Young's list, she notes on every one of the five in some capacity. As MacKinnon debates the cogency between the "difference approach" as opposed to the "dominance approach," she incorporates how both of these approaches seek to undermine the network of oppression understood by Young.
MacKinnon's debate inevitably ran across the reasons as to why sex inequality is so destructive. MacKinnon points out early on how women in America suffer employment discrimination and financial insecurity due to there sex. In terms of Young's work, this practice is referred to as marginalization. Noting on the lack of employment options for women, MacKinnon laments that, "It makes you want to cry sometimes to know that is has had to be mission for many women just to be permitted to do the work of this society, to have the dignity of doing jobs a lot of other people don't even want told do." The exclusion of women as "second class" has its roots in marginalization. Just as marginalization restricts the economic possibilities of women, cultural imperialism restricts the psychological and emotional self-esteem of women.
Young's definition of cultural imperialism is "to experience how the dominant meanings of a society render the particular perspectives of one's own group invisible at the same time as they stereotype one's group and make it out as the Other." Cultural imperialism relies upon normative standards based on the dominant social group in society. For MacKinnon, cultural imperialism in the United States revolved around the dominance of men over women. One of the nuances of cultural imperialism is how insidious and invisible it is. Because a certain group controls the larger cultural messages and symbols used, the excluded groups internalize the system that seeks to oppress them. McKinnon understands that by creating a system of sex equality with men as non-marked or something to be aspired to only reinforces the male supremacy sex equality works to eliminate.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI thought your discussion of MacKinnon's take on cultural imperialism and its control of the system and symbols was really insightful and not something that we had really brought up in class. I think you could have delved a little bit more into the difference and dominance approaches because I think they go hand in hand in building MacKinnon's case for both cultural imperialism and marginalization. I think its important to note (and you mentioned it briefly) that sex inequality originates in the factual differences between men and women but is then taken one step further by positioning male as the norm and female as the other. That the foundation that marginalization and oppression are built upon.
ReplyDeleteWell written analysis of both works. Your introduction firmly discusses the key points: the "five faces of oppression" (Young) and the ideas of "difference" and "dominance" (Mackinnon). I think both of the ladder ideas are present within Young's article. As you mentioned, with regards to employment discrimination, we are capable of deciphering the various faces of oppression while also delving into the components of "difference" and "dominance". Women suffer marginalization (as you mentioned), powerlessness, exploitation, cultural imperialism (as you mentioned), and violence within the workplace. It is important to highlight that, existing with these five faces of oppression, are differences (male = strong, superior, female = gentle, emotional, reason/emotion dichotomies) and dominance. I think within each face of oppression there is the existence of these two ideals. Overall, I think you did a great job! You chose two faces of oppression and outlined them with specific representations of such. However, although you introduced the ideas of differences and dominance, you didn't accentuate the importance of both!
ReplyDelete